Harry Rasky’s biography, net worth, fact, career, awards and life story

Intro Canadian film director
Was Writer 
Film director 
Screenwriter 
From Canada 
Type Film, TV, Stage & Radio 
Literature 
Gender male
Birth 9 May 1928, Toronto, Canada
Death 9 April 2007, Toronto, Canada
(aged 78 years)
Star sign Taurus
Education
University of Toronto
Awards
Member of the Order of Canada  
Order of Ontario  

Harry Rasky, CM, O.Ont (9 May 1928 – 9 April 2007) was a Canadian documentary film producer.

Life and career

Rasky was born in Toronto into a Jewish family, where he completed studies at Oakwood Collegiate Institute and then University College. He participated in CBC Television’s first four years writing and producing CBC Newsmagazine (1952–1955). He also produced a documentary for the 1961 debut evening of CTV Television Network. He earned more than 200 awards during his career in which his films numbered more than 400.

In the late 1950s Rasky moved to New York where he was hired by towering figures in the broadcasting world such as Murrow and Cronkite. After learning the tricks of the trade Rasky became a freelance director and began to travel around the world documenting every inch of his journey. Throughout the 1960s Harry made films on Castro, Che Guevera, Lady Bird Johnson, Eleanor Roosevelt, The Nobel Prize Winners in 1964 (which included Martin Luther King Jr.) and many more individuals. He also made two wildly different docudramas entitled “Hall of Kings” – for which he won an Emmy – and “Upon This Rock” which starred Orson Welles. His films were called “Raskymentaries” by the New York Times and Los Angeles Times and noted for their poetry of the screen.

After making a film in Vietnam entitled Operation Sea War, Rasky decided that politics was not his area of interest. He decided to dedicate his filmmaking career to documenting the world’s greatest creators. By the early 1970s Harry returned to his native Toronto when the CBC offered him a simple arrangement: “make one film a year for us on whatever you want.” Throughout the 70s, 80s, and 90s, Harry came into contact, once again, with the most interesting people alive in the world. He made films on Leonard Cohen, Marc Chagall (nominated for an Oscar), Henry Moore, Baryshnikov, Teresa Stratas, Will and Ariel Durant, Christopher Plummer, Yousef Karsh, Tennessee Williams, and Arthur Miller. He also made sweeping epic films that covered a variety of issues including “The War Against the Indians” and “The Spies That Never Were.”

Rasky died in hospital of heart failure on 9 April 2007 while recovering from a hip fracture sustained at his home.

Awards and recognition

  • 1966: Emmy Award for Hall of Kings
  • 1977: Academy Award Nomination for Homage to Chagall: The Colours of Love
  • 1984: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences – Certificate of Special Merit for”Stratasphere” (56th Academy Awards)
  • 1985: Directors Guild of America Awards, Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentary/Actuality:, Homage to Chagall: The Colours of Love
  • 1992: Margaret Collier Award
  • 2002: appointed Member of the Order of Canada
You May Also Like

Helen Baxendale’s net worth, biography, fact, career, awards and life story

Helen Baxendale net worth: Helen Baxendale is an English actress who has a net worth of $3 million. Helen Baxendale was born in Pontefract, West Riding of Yorkshire, England in June 1970. She has performed on stage as well as in films and television series. Baxendale starred as Dr. Claire Maitland on the TV series Cardiac Arrest from 1994 to 1996. From 1998 to 1999 she starred as Emily Waltham on the series Friends. Helen Baxendale starred as Rachel Bradley on the television series Cold Feet from 1997 to 2003. From 2012 to 2016 she starred as Lorna on the TV series Cuckoo. From 1997 to 2001 she had a recurring role as Cordelia Gray on the series An Unsuitable Job for a Woman and in 2001 she had a recurring role as Pandora Braithwaite on the series Adrian Mole: The Cappuccino Years. Helen Baxendale was nominated for BAFTA Awards, Scotland for Best Actress – Television for Cardiac Arrest in 1995 and Truth or Dare in 1997. She was also nominated for a British Comedy Award in 1997 for Best TV Comedy Actress for Cold Feet. Her long term partner is director David L. Williams.
Read More

Roger Waters’s net worth, biography, fact, career, awards and life story

Roger Waters Net Worth: Roger Waters is an English musician, singer, songwriter, and composer who has a net worth of $310 million. Waters is probably best known as the co-founder and former bassist of Pink Floyd. After the departure of Syd Barrett, Waters became a leading force in the band’s creative process, serving as a lyricist and co-lead singer. After leaving the group in the mid-80s, Waters enjoyed a successful solo career and continues to tour as a solo artist. Early Life: George Roger Waters was born on September 6th of 1943 in Great Brookham, Surrey. His father died fighting in World War II when he was just five months old, and he was subsequently raised by his mother alongside an older brother. During his secondary school years, Waters was an active member of various sports teams. After graduating, he initially set his sights on a career as an architect, and he enrolled at Regent Street Polytechnic. During this period, he met two future members of Pink Floyd, Nick Mason and Richard Wright. By 1963, the trio was regularly playing music together in an informal band. Career: When Bob Klose and Syd Barrett joined this informal band in 1963, Water switched to the bass guitar, and after a number of imaginative name changes, the band became Pink Floyd in 1966. Initially, Syd Barrett was the frontman of the band, but his mental health quickly deteriorated after the release of The Piper at the Gates of Dawn. By 1968, Barrett was gone and Waters started to take the lead in their creative process. One of Waters’ most notable contributions to the band was as a songwriter. He wrote most of the lyrics for Pink Floyd’s next five albums, including the critically-acclaimed Dark Side of the Moon. The 1973 album went on to sell over 40 million copies, elevating Pink Floyd to an insane level of commercial achievement. By 2005, Dark Side of the Moon was still selling 8,000 copies per week. By some estimates, it is the second-best-selling album of all time. The Wall was another monumental album for Pink Floyd, and the 1979 concept album was largely based on the life of Roger Waters. With over 23 million copies sold in the US alone, it became the third-best-selling album in America. By 1983, Waters was taking even more creative control over the band. It got to the point where other Pink Floyd members (most notably Gilmour) were asking Roger to delay the release of albums so they could write lyrics and songs of their own. In 1983, Waters didn’t want to wait for the rest of the band members to catch up, as he had already written an entire album – Final Cut. The album was released even though no one other than Waters had any real creative input, and critics described it as “essentially a Roger Waters solo album.” With this in mind, it wasn’t a huge shock when Roger left Pink Floyd after the album’s release. In 1985, he officially left the band and began his solo career. Due to the complex contract signed by Pink Floyd members, Waters was soon engaged in a legal battle over copyright issues, the use of the name “Pink Floyd,” and other concerns. Eventually, an agreement was reached which allowed Roger to retain the lucrative rights to certain intellectual properties. The lawsuit created an even bigger rift between him and the remaining members of Pink Floyd, and their relationship was almost completely destroyed for the next 20 years. Waters later stated that he regretted ever moving forward with the lawsuit. During this time, Roger Waters also found the time to establish a solo career with the release of his first album, The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking, which received mixed reviews. In 1990, he staged The Wall – Live in Berlin, which became one of the most famous rock concerts in history. In 1992, he released the album Amused to Death, which he considers to be one of his best pieces of work. In 1999, he embarked on a successful tour across the United States. In 2005, Roger Waters had a long-awaited reunion with Pink Floyd, playing a 23-minute set in London’s Hyde Park. Throughout the next few years, Waters continued to tour, often playing Pink Floyd songs. In 2017, he released the album Is This the Life We Really Want?, his first solo effort in almost 25 years. Relationships: Roger Waters’ first marriage was to Judith Trim in 1969. In 1975, the pair divorced and Waters married Lady Carolyne Christie a year later. Christie is the niece of the 3rd Marquee of Zetland, and she bore Roger two children before the marriage ended in 1992. A year later, he married Priscilla Phillips and had one child with her before they divorced in 2001. In 2012, Roger married actress Laurie Durning, but the relationship ended in divorce by 2015. Salary: Between June 2017 and June 2018, Roger Waters earned nearly $70 million from his various musical and business ventures. Real Estate: In 2006, Roger Waters and Shakira formed a business entity and purchased an entire island in the Bahamas. Waters and Shakira purchased the 700-acre island with the intention of building an extensive luxury resort. The island is called “Bond’s Bay,” and it’s only 125 miles from Florida. The two musicians paid $16 million in the real estate deal, and many celebrities are reportedly interested in building mansions on the land. In 2006, Waters sold three New York apartments in Olympic Tower for approximately $14.5 million. in 2007, Roger Waters finalized a deal that saw him take possession of a massive new York townhouse for $15 million. Built in the style of a Louis XVI palace, the property features nine antique fireplaces and nickel/silver hardware.
Read More